"Hope to have some news soon" - Danielle Kelly teases next competitive foray

Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Danielle Kelly is fresh off a $50,000 performance bonus-winning display at ONE X and she’s ready to head right back into action.

On her Instagram Stories, the 26-year-old shared a post-training photo saying she’s staying ready for another call-up anytime.

Danielle Kelly wrote:

“Hope to have some news soon, staying ready 💪👏”

Screen grab from Danielle Kelly's Instagram Stories

Kelly made her ONE Championship debut at the promotion’s 10-year anniversary showcase, ONE X, this past March. She went toe-to-toe with former ONE women’s atomweight world title challenger Mei Yamaguchi in a 12-minute showdown in submission grappling.

Though the match ended in a draw, Kelly’s impressive performance won her a well-deserved bonus.

With ONE Championship already featuring the striking arts of Muay Thai and kickboxing regularly at its events, it's now shifting its focus on growing its submission grappling roster.

ONE X was the first event that featured two bouts in the sport. The upcoming ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic card will see another new recruit in Mikey Musumeci making his debut against grappling legend Masakazu Imanari.

Kelly is one of the faces of submission grappling in ONE Championship and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her back in the circle soon.

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Danielle Kelly could make her MMA debut in ONE Championship

Danielle Kelly is a rising star in the grappling world, but she hasn’t been shy in her desire to transition to MMA soon.

The American signed with ONE Championship to compete in both submission grappling and MMA. While she hasn’t been in an MMA fight before, she has been inspired by fellow grappler Garry Tonon’s success in his transition to the sport.

She’s hoping to compete in the women’s atomweight division, but wants to get a better feel of the circle first before she makes the jump. Kelly has said that she’s looking for one more match in submission grappling before testing her skills in MMA.

However, with the rise in popularity of the hybrid-rules match following Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon’s showdown at ONE X, Kelly could choose to go this route against ONE women’s atomweight world champion Angela Lee.

Both Kelly and Lee have expressed an interest in competing against each other in a submission grappling bout. While that in itself is a tremendous matchup, adding an element of MMA could make their clash even spicier. It also allows Kelly to get a taste of the sport without going into a full MMA fight.

Either way, Kelly’s willingness to stay active means it won’t be long until we see her compete in her first official MMA match.